adminBuild A Rocket Boy is facing questions about its future after the troubled launch of MindsEye, reports of workplace monitoring and renewed disputes over alleged attempts to harm the studio. The company says it is updating the game and addressing claims of a coordinated campaign, while former employees have described problems with decision-making and development long before release.
Build A Rocket Boy and the workplace monitoring dispute
Staff at the Edinburgh-based studio reportedly discovered that Teramind monitoring software had been installed on their work computers without their prior knowledge. Employees noticed in January that their machines were running more slowly, affecting development tools such as Maya. Management later acknowledged the installation and asked staff to sign an updated IT privacy policy.
Patrick Rennie, a partner at Wiggin and head of its data protection team, said employers can generally monitor staff, but must follow data-protection requirements. In his view, monitoring should be reasonable, proportionate and transparent. For workers and employers alike, clear notice about what software collects and why is an important part of handling workplace monitoring responsibly.
During a late-January all-hands video call, co-CEO Mark Gerhard described Teramind as enhanced cybersecurity software and said the studio hoped to remove it within three months, depending on MindsEye‘s success. He also said that most staff were trusted, but that a small minority posed a problem, echoing earlier comments about supposed “saboteurs.”
Gerhard alleged, without providing evidence, that a large American company had spent more than €1 million in 2025 on criminal activity against the studio. He claimed this involved influencer agency Ritual Network, three unnamed journalists and some employees. Ritual Network denied involvement, saying it knew of no legitimate legal action concerning the agency and had not been given evidence supporting the accusations.
A Build A Rocket Boy spokesperson said the company had evidence of a coordinated effort to damage its reputation and undermine confidence in the game, and that it was working with its legal team. Separately, after an anonymous YouTuber asked about possible legal action in the game’s Discord server, Gerhard posted a cease-and-desist demand that included the creator’s real name. Moderators later removed the messages.
Image credit: Build A Rocket Boy/IOI Partners
A difficult launch for MindsEye
MindsEye launched in June 2025 to poor reviews and technical criticism. Its Metacritic score on PC was 37. Former staff described a gap between management’s optimism and their own concerns about the game’s readiness. One former employee estimated it might receive five or six out of ten at best.
Following the launch, staff said disappointment set in as the game’s reception became clear. Two members of the management team had left in the week before release. Significant redundancies were announced later in June, and an internal meeting on July 2 included comments from Leslie Benzies about alleged saboteurs inside and outside the studio. Former employees said they wanted an explanation of the layoffs and the company’s position, rather than claims that people within the team were trying to undermine the game.
MindsEye has received updates since release, and the studio has described its 2026 plans as a reset for the brand. A major patch released on February 4 was presented as a new phase of ongoing development. At the time reported, SteamDB showed 28 people playing and a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 65. These figures are a snapshot, so player numbers can change over time.
Image credit: Build A Rocket Boy/IOI Partners
How the studio’s original plans changed
Before MindsEye became the studio’s main focus, Build A Rocket Boy was developing Everywhere, an open-world creation platform described internally as a “grown-up Roblox.” The project attracted investment from venture capital firms and NetEase. A 2022 Gamescom reveal generated limited interest, and the beta reportedly struggled to keep players engaged.
One former employee described a “chicken and egg” problem: players had little to do, while creators had limited reason to build content without an active audience. The studio later shifted most of its attention to MindsEye and secured a publishing partnership with IO Interactive.
Former employees have attributed some of the game’s development difficulties to leadership and a lack of a clear, stable vision. They said new features were regularly added late in production, including ideas tracked as a separate task category in Jira. Former lead data analyst Ben Newbon said late additions left too little time for testing and integration. Staff also described micromanagement and a culture in which colleagues could be reluctant to challenge senior leadership.
Image credit: Build A Rocket Boy/IOI Partners
Can Build A Rocket Boy reset MindsEye?
The studio’s recovery plan remains uncertain. The IWGB Game Workers union is pursuing legal action over the handling of redundancies and published an open letter to studio leadership signed by 93 current and former employees.
Some former staff have compared the proposed turnaround with the later recoveries of Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky, both of which improved after substantial updates. They also noted that MindsEye did not have a comparable level of pre-release anticipation. Fixing technical problems may be important, but former employees have argued that the game also needs broader improvements and that leadership must respond to feedback.
Co-CEO Leslie Benzies was described by Gerhard in an email to staff as taking temporary leave to recharge, while remaining co-CEO. A studio spokesperson characterized the break as planned and short. Benzies has also denied sexual assault allegations after being named by an unidentified person in recently released Epstein files.
A Build A Rocket Boy spokesperson said the studio was encouraged by the response to the update and that players were noticing improvements. The company also said it intended to continue releasing regular updates and new content. Whether those efforts can restore confidence will depend on the quality and consistency of future changes, alongside the studio’s ability to address staff concerns.
For now, Build A Rocket Boy’s prospects remain unclear. The game’s updates offer a route to improvement, but the reported workplace dispute, staff accounts of development problems and weak launch reception leave substantial challenges to overcome. The central question is whether Build A Rocket Boy can turn its reset into lasting progress for MindsEye.
